FCRA bribery case: CBI detains MHA official after raid
The under secretary was posted in the FCRA division of the home ministry and was questioned by a CBI team in FCRA bribery case
New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) detained an Under Secretary rank officer of the ministry of home affairs (MHA) in the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) in a bribery case. He was questioned on Friday.
According to people familiar with the development, the under-secretary was posted in the FCRA division of the home ministry. He was detained on Friday evening by the team of CBI for questioning in FCRA bribery case.
“His name surfaced during questioning of arrested six staff members of MHA posted in FCRA division in a bribery case. His role is under the scanner,” one of the people said.
On May 10, the central agency raided 40 locations in Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Assam and Manipur after receiving a communication from Union home secretary Ajay Bhalla.
The home secretary reported suspicion of at least three FCRA clearance networks that were purportedly operating in connivance with government servants.
Following raids, 14 people, including six government servants, were arrested and ₹3.21 crore in cash was retrieved.
CBI has named representatives of at least 12 non-government organisations (NGOs) and institutions over the alleged case of bribe-for-approval. The case also names six officials of FCRA division of the ministry of home affairs, one National Informatics Centre (NIC) official, two hawala operators, and several middlemen.
In all, the agency has named 36 individuals and entities along with “unknown persons” for being part of what it said was a well-oiled network to provide FCRA clearances illegally.
